Review: North Sea Gas

Subject: Review: North Sea Gas
From: kendall
Date: 08 May 12 - 07:35 PM

Anyone know this trio? A Scottish band. They were on TV here yesterday. Quite good, I thought. I'm surprised I had never heard of them.

Subject: RE: Review: North Sea Gas
From: Jack Campin
Date: 08 May 12 - 07:42 PM

They've been around for about 30 years, with several changes of personnel. The only one of them I've known at all well is Grant the current fiddler, who is very good.

They tour Germany quite a lot.

Subject: RE: Review: North Sea Gas
From: GUEST
Date: 08 May 12 - 08:07 PM

I think there was a thread on Mudcat last year about them doing some gigs in England for the first time.

I saw them in Edinburgh a few years back and they were very good but spent most of their time between tunes having a dig at the English.

Subject: RE: Review: North Sea Gas
From: GUEST,Seayaker
Date: 08 May 12 - 08:13 PM

Me above x2

Lost damn cookie....again

Subject: RE: Review: North Sea Gas
From: GUEST
Date: 09 May 12 - 06:10 AM

They have been on the Scottish Pub/Folk Scene for many many years and play regularly in pubs and festivals Edinburgh and surrounding area
They are very good .... their "english "patter is for the benefit of the foreign tourists , they are all very frienly and approachable

North Sea Gas Website

Subject: RE: Review: North Sea Gas
From: sciencegeek
Date: 09 May 12 - 07:19 AM

they were out in the wilds of western NY last year.... did a very good job & well worth the hour's drive to get there.

Subject: RE: Review: North Sea Gas
From: GUEST,John from "Elsie`s Band"
Date: 09 May 12 - 11:33 AM

They did a first time booking with us at "ELSIE`S" in March and were really lively and entertaining. For a rollicking Scottish night I heartily recommend them.

Subject: RE: Review: North Sea Gas
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 09 May 12 - 03:00 PM

They are quite excellent, very entertaining, and as Jack says, Grant the fiddler is outstanding.

I had the pleasure of opening for them the last time they played Leith Folk Club a few months ago, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

The anti-English thing is all tongue-in-cheek, as anybody would (or should) realise.

Subject: RE: Review: North Sea Gas
From: gnu
Date: 09 May 12 - 04:52 PM

They sound very good. Thanks!

Subject: RE: Review: North Sea Gas
From: ranger1
Date: 09 May 12 - 07:29 PM

Geez, Kendall, if I'd known you'd never heard of them, I'd have loaned you some CDs a while ago. And I think I tried to get you to go see them with Jason and I about five years back when they played at the St Lawrence.

Subject: RE: Review: North Sea Gas
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 09 May 12 - 08:06 PM

I saw North Sea Gas live for the first time a couple of weeks ago in Germany. I drove almost two hours and it was definitely worth it. Traditional and some modern tunes with an upbeat flavor. They are all superb musicians and very accessible and friendly, as one commentator has already noted. Dave Gilfillan and Ronnie McDonald have been playing together for years. The fiddler Grant -- baby bear as he might be affectionately called because of his youth (29 years old) and size (-: --has been with them only a few years. They are currently touring the US and Canada. There and Germany are the places they play most outside of Scotland. If someone helped them organize a tour of other countries or continents I'm sure they would go there, too. A rollicking evening with multi-instrumental NSG surely would put the biggest grouch in a good mood.

Subject: RE: Review: North Sea Gas
From: CupOfTea
Date: 12 May 12 - 12:02 PM

Saw these folks a couple years ago in a small house concert venue. They searched for people who did house concerts and called Sue out of the blue. I'd never heard of them before, either. She was game to host a house concert, and a batch of the regular house concert supporters went.

Perhaps a house concert wasn't the place they shine, or they were having an off night, or at a bad point in their career, because they were decent, but not outstanding that night. I found the band's NAME to be more memorable than their performance, which was like the Scottish version of a decent local Irish bar band. I've heard (and promoted) a fair few concerts with Scottish performers, and did not find North Sea Gas as superlative as others here seem to feel- this may be a choice example of "your milage may vary."

I buy most of my recordings from performers at shows like this or festivals where I've seen them perform. I didn't feel the need to have any of their recordings.They're playing Wilbert's Bar later this month, and I've got no urge to go see them on my own dime. If someone were paying for a night out at Wilbert's that included dinner and North Sea Gas, I'd go. Wilbert's was an interesting place in it's first incarnation & I've not been to the new (wonder if the menu is as good). It's been an eclectic venue, musically, with a wide range of folk/ethnic/rock/blues/singersongwrtier performers.

Joanne in Cleveland